The Chase
by IntraSule
Summary: Berwald hunts down Tino...


The forest was silent. With the animals hibernating in the warmest shelters they could find and the weather at its most calm since the blizzard that blanketed the greenery with white fluff, the snow in the forest remained smooth and unmarked, glimmering beautiful under the sun's light.

That is, until a heavy boot mark was stomped into it's surface by a runner.

Cheeks tinted rosy red from the freezing air, Tino Vainamoinen ran through the whitewashed forest as close to the trail as possible without actually being on it. He needed to be able to know where he was going so that if he ever ran too far from his home, he would be able to go back to its safety should the coast become clear. He looked over his shoulder at the emptiness behind him. Nothing was behind him except for the hundreds of oak trees powdered white with frost, nothing to suggest that the current threat to Tino was nearby, but Tino wasn't fooled; he had centuries of wars training him to sense beyond what is close and tangible, and he knew that the threat was close. He focused his ears to listen. Sure enough, beyond the sounds of his frantic panting, his rapid heartbeat, and his own stomping as he ran for his life were even heavier stomping and a deep voice panting.

Berwald Oxenstierna was coming for him.

Berwald, the athletically strong and foreboding man with few words but much intimidating presence, had started this twisted game of cat and mouse with Tino a few months back. Almost on a weekly basis, Tino had to wake up really early, dress in his snow gear, and sprint into the woods surrounding his once-isolated house lest he faced Berwald head-on which- with Berwald having a copy of the key to his home- wasn't so impossible, anymore. Every week, Berwald prowled the perimeters of Tino's home, waiting for his Finnish "toy" to come out and sate his burning appetite to be the predator. And every week, Tino becomes his prey. So far along this game, Berwald hasn't done much to injure Tino- in most cases, he didn't even catch or find him- but every time after the chase, whenever Tino and Berwald gave a passing glance to each other while no one noticed, or whenever they're alone and happen to look at each other, Tino could see it in Berwald's eyes. Within those sky blue orbs burned a fiery red monster that wanted to get Tino. To attack him. To _own _him. Just the mere thought of such a monster made Tino's spine shudder in fright.

Tino looked back at the trees behind him to see just how close Berwald was to him when he noticed the trail of boot prints lined up behind him. _Oh, no! I'm leading him right to me! _Tino panicked. He then formulated a quick idea, the only idea that he can think of with no other tools or peace of mind to help him with. He ran further away from the trail and deeper into the trees. When he felt that he ran through the trees long enough, he turned around and followed the diverted trail he made, carefully stepping into the imprints on the snow so that Berwald wouldn't see that he turned around and continued his initial path. He then ran to the forest's trail and burst through the trees on the other side and repeated the process. He kept making simple decoy tracks until he felt that there were enough tracks to confuse the Swede and went back to his first path.

_That ought to buy me enough time, I hope, _Tino assured himself. He zigzagged through the trees- remaining careful to stay near the path- until his entire body burned with exhaustion inside out. He stopped to rest at a tree, kneeling at its base to catch his breath. He used the back of his gloved hand to wipe away the sweat that made his hair cling to his forehead and temples before it froze. He took deep breaths to slow his body's adrenaline; the cold air stung his throat and lungs, and kneeling on the snow-covered ground made his pants wet, but the cool was soothing his sore body and organs, so much so that if it wasn't for the close and distinct sound of large feet trekking through the woods, Tino would've been able to be lulled into much-needed sleep right on the snow.

"Tino..." the heavily-accented Swedish voice eerily called out into the emptiness. "Oh, my dear Tino..."

Tino had to press his hands over his mouth in order to physically force back a whimper. Tino silently shifted in his spot so that he crouched on the balls of his feet in case he needed to pounce and run, but he kept still and listened. Berwald seemed to be moving farther away from Tino's location, then closer, then farther, then closer again; Tino prayed silently that the decoy tracks were working. Oh, how Tino wanted to run, to flee, but Berwald was too damn close, and he might hear Tino with that ridiculous sensitive hearing of his. Tino's only present possibility was to stay put and wait until Berwald got far away enough so he can run undetected, and just hope that Berwald doesn't find him as he squatted like a helpless duck.

"Tino...my flower...my delicate love...kommer du inte komma ut och låt mig leka med dig?"

Tino quivered at the voice; he could just hear the dark purr within that tone. _Please don't find me, please don't find me, please don't find me..._

"It's really pointless to run and hide, my Tino; I will find you."

_Oh, please God, please, please,_ please_ don't let him find me!_

There was a loud whooshing sound followed by a thundering whack, suggesting that a tree was whipped with something.

_Oh, no, he brought _that?! Tino clamped his hands tighter around his mouth as he felt himself begin to hyperventilate. He then took a deep breath to calm himself. _Tino, keep it together! _He heard another whip, but this was father away.

"Tino, come now. I might seem big and scary, but I promise you, I won't bite." Berwald chuckled. "Unless you want me to. I can fulfill your every whim, my love..."

_His voice sounds distant, _Tino noticed. _Should I try to run? _Berwald made another whipping noise, this time really close. _No, stay put._

Berwald chuckled loudly again. "Tino, do you smell what I smell?" Tino's ears perked up. He heard Berwald sniff the air. "Ahhh," he sighed, "how delicious. The smell of strong, creamy chocolate- utsökt finsk choklad- and cleansing strawberry shampoo, with just a hint of...mint? No..." He sniffed. "Chive? No~ that can't be it~..."

_What on Earth is he going on about? _Tino wondered. _No, he's toying with me! He's just trying to confuse me and freak me out so that I'd panic and lose focus and sit and wait here like a sitting duck while he gets closer and closer and try to trap me-_

"Ah, mistletoe."

Tino froze. Slowly, he turned his head to the direction that the voice came from. As the predatory smirk graced those pink lips, almost to a tooth-baring snarl, the snow white world around Tino became dark in that very instant. They stayed in that position in what felt like forever, with Berwald leaning on the tree Tino was crouching next to and looking down at his prey with mild amusement, twisting the black leather riding crop between the pads of his fingers. With all the blood draining from his head to his feet, Tino shouted the only coherent thing that popped into his mind.

"SON OF A BITCH!"

He swiftly leapt into action and ran off, Berwald giddily giving chase. Tino pounded his feet into the snow to gather as much momentum as he could to push himself forward and make the distance between them grow. But it wasn't working; he could hear Berwald chuckling closely behind him. He can feel his heart racing again, this time mostly from fear instead of adrenaline. More sweat soaked his forehead and the burning in his legs returned. _I have to get away!_

"Stop chasing me!" Tino shouted over his shoulder.

Berwald shrugged and chucked the riding crop at Tino's feet, tripping the Finn and making him fall on his face. Eyes blinded by mounds of snow, Tino could hear Berwald approach him, and then stand right on top of him. "I lss dmdmt I?" Tino asked, his voice muffled by the snow.

Berwald tilted is head to the side in amusement. "I'm sorry, what?"

Tino rose his head from the snow. "I said I lost, didn't I?"

Berwald smirked. "Ja, ya did, Tino."

Tino turned onto his back to look up at his "predator". Berwald picked him up and slung him over his shoulder, and then picked up his riding crop. He made his way towards the trail that led to Tino's house, humming a happy tune to himself. Tino simply hung from Berwald's shoulder, watching the patches of trees shrink in size more and more.

"So, Berwald," Tino began after a long time of silence, "since you won and all, what are you going to do to claim me as your prize?"

"Mark you as my territory."

Tino's eyes wandered to Berwald's buttocks, taking in the toned, round cheeks swishing back and forth with each step Berwald took. "Hmmm...how will you be doing that, Berwald?"

Berwald chuckled and replied in a husky voice, "By ripping the clothes off your back and pounding your sweet body into the mattress." His hand slid up Tino's leg and grabbed a firm butt cheek. "I'm planning on filling you up so much with my essence that your body will scream 'Property of Berwald'."

"And you'll bite me if I ask you to?"

"Yes."

Tino traced small circles on Berwald's back. "You know I like the soft, slow nibbles all over me, right? The ones that take my breath away."

"Of course; you are my finsk choklad, after all."

Tino giggled. "Good..."

* * *

Aw, don't you just love it when couples play with each other like this? XD I is failure at innuendo and flirting, I know. u_u But I hope that you still liked it!


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